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Cows have to calve once a year in order to produce milk. But male calves are unwanted, waste products of the dairy industry. They are often sent to fattening farms. A farmer, a scientist and a butcher want to change that. Instead of being sent to animal factories where they are fattened with soy or corn, they send the animals to the pastures and alpine meadows of the Alps. Bull calves are unwanted - that is the case in most modern dairy farms. The farmers' calculation: In order for the cow to produce milk, it has to give birth to a calf. Female calves later become dairy cows themselves, bull calves are not worth it, they are just a waste product of the dairy industry. After torturous transport, they end up in fattening farms, often outside the EU. Dairy farmer Marcel Renz in the Allgäu has decided to break new ground. With a small group of farmers, restaurateurs and retailers, he is trying to change the system. Towards better animal welfare, shorter routes and good meat for which customers pay a little more. The customers of trained butcher Hannes Hönegger are ready for this. He works with small, traditional organic farms that rely on so-called dual-purpose breeds, animals that are not just bred for performance. Cows and calves are suitable for milk and meat production, just like in the past. They feed almost exclusively on what grows on the pastures. In this way, they also contribute to protecting nature in the Alps - from the Allgäu to South Tyrol. Thomas Zanon's bull calves are lucky. No long transports, no fattening with soy or corn. Instead, they graze on his mountain pasture - a small herd that he rescued from the dairy industry. Thomas Zanon's main job is as a junior professor for livestock farming at the University of Bozen. If you take all factors into account, he says, then milk is by no means worse than milk substitutes made from oats or soy. The rescued bull calves on his mountain pasture are not only happy animals, but also embody a new approach to sustainable milk production. Reportage (D 2024, 31 min) #calf #cow #bull Video available until 17/09/2025 Link to the media library: https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/115490-... Subscribe to the ARTE YouTube channel: / artede Follow us on social networks: Facebook: / arte.tv Twitter: / artede Instagram: / arte.tv